Photo by Nathan Cowley

Five Main Muscle Groups for Stronger Running

If you are smart runner, you will already be aware of the fact that targeted strength and sharpening routines as a part of the training program will help in reducing injury. This, in turn, will improve your running performance, allowing you to increase the odds of winning races, almost like using WSOP promo code.

There are several options you have at hand that will help in developing your running strength, from kettlebell workouts to body weight training. Here we have highlighted some target muscle groups that you can work out to improve your running and reduce injury.

  1. Glutes

These are the most important muscle in your butt. Gluteus medius, gluteus minimus and gluteus medius play significant roles when it comes to providing strength, stability, and power to the pelvis and hips in three planes of motion. Moreover, they also play a key role in the way the knee alignment is controlled as your standing leg bears the body weight when you run. One of the primary dysfunctions is having glutes which do not engage when they should. This can lead to excess stress on your lower back and tight hamstrings. It can also cause you to have inadequate pelvic posture, injuries to the knee, and at times shin pain.

If you have to select one muscle group to be worked on because you don’t have time, it has to be glute muscles.

  1. Core and Abdominal

If you have to generate force in a certain direction using your weak core, it will be just like firing a cannon from a canoe. In simple running terms, this means that if you have to generate propulsive force, you will require a robust and stable base. This way the force is going to go the way you want it to. When you do not have core strength, it can result in an increased undesirable movement which might lead to injury over time.

  1. Quads

The Quadriceps are a muscle group that is made up of different types of muscle. This constitutes the bulk of the front of the thigh. You will see that several runners are immensely tight and strong all through the quads, especially rectus femoris. It impacts the swinging leg’s forward motion in the running gait. The tightness can lead to many kinds of postural issues and muscle imbalances. This, in turn, can have an effect on the hips, knees, lower back, and pelvis. Hence, you should keep stretching and stretching the quads.

  1. Calves

Your calves will always be worked hard, no matter the kind of running technique you choose. It not likes repeatedly loading of running for preparing the calves. Often when runners increase their training regimen suddenly, it can lead to Achilles injuries. This is because building calf strength requires time. Exercises like jumping rope will help to build your calves for running.

  1. Hamstrings

Photo courtesy of RUN 4 FFWPU

These muscles constitute the back of the thigh. They play a significant role in the various phases of developing your running gait. Nevertheless, they are pretty weak when compared to quads, the opposing group of muscles. Such weakness can have an impact on the muscle balance at hip and knee and thus increase the risk of an injury.

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